Irish producer and composer Kormac returns with Down Below, the first in a series of new releases on his Always The Sound imprint.
Known for his widescreen, collaborative projects with everyone from Irvine Welsh to 30-piece orchestras, this new chapter sees Kormac strip things back. Written and recorded in his Dublin studio using a deliberately volatile setup of modular synths and drum machines, Down Below marks a rawer, more immediate sound palette.
The track features vocals from Katie Kim, whose work with doom-folk ensemble ØXN (alongside Lankum’s Radie Peat) has drawn acclaim for its eerie, slow-burning intensity. Here, her vocal sits somewhere between dream and distortion, offset by Kormac’s churning synth textures and off-grid percussion.
With the single out now, we caught up with Kormac to discuss this next chapter in his musical evolution.
What is it about being alone in a room full of unpredictable machines that appeals to you? Is it peaceful, frustrating, or a bit of both?
I think it can be endlessly inspiring, as long as the character and timbres of the machines themselves appeal to me. I come from a sampling background – a lot of my very early work involved mining old records for snippets to use – so I’m very comfortable extracting the parts that I like from all that unpredictability.
Do you think working with modular gear has changed how you listen to music in general, or are you able to switch off that part of your brain?
I can hear certain synths and drum machines used in other records now, because I’ve become really familiar with them. I think, because I spend so much time thinking about making music, that part of my brain is always on.
You’ve worked with orchestras, vocalists, filmmakers… now you’re letting the machines take the lead. Is this new chapter more about control or letting go of it?
With this batch of music, I would say the machines start the conversation and then I take it from there. I guess I’m too much of a control freak, where music is concerned, to let them take over completely!
Was there a moment in the making of Down Below where everything suddenly clicked, or was it more of a slow burn?
It came together relatively quickly. The drums were made first (using a very unpredictable and unruly drum machine) and then I made the opening chords you hear out of a small sample of radio static. When Katie’s voice was offered up to those chords for the first time, I did have a “there might be something here” moment…
What kind of music were you into when you first got into DJing and beatmaking? Are there any early influences that still catch you off guard when they show up in your own tracks?
Initially, Drum n’ Bass and then very sample-based hip hop; Jurassic 5, Cut Chemist, Ugly Ducking etc. Not really but I’m sure they’re there, albeit a bit subconscious at this stage.
Does scoring for TV and film scratch a different creative itch than making solo records, or do the two processes blur together now?
I find them really complimentary. I definitely think my scoring work benefits from the fact that I kind of came at it sideways i.e. having built a career as a more traditional electronic artist.
Also, scoring film often requires me to write in a way I wouldn’t have previously, or use instruments or software I wouldn’t necessarily have gravitated towards before – which is hugely beneficial when it comes to my solo work.
What was your reaction the first time you heard Katie Kim’s vocal sitting over your track? Did it feel finished right away or did you have to live with it a bit?
I was really drawn to Katie’s voice because it has this beautiful contrast — it’s delicate and sweet, yet there’s an underlying darkness in the lyrics. That tension reminded me a bit of Pet Sounds, and I loved the idea of pairing that kind of vocal with drums at 126bpm and some gritty synths.
I initially sampled her vocal from her song “Pause” just as a rough placeholder, thinking I’d bring someone else in to re-record a vocal later. But as I worked on the music it seemed to blend so naturally with the chords and drums I’d written that I felt I had to at least ask her if she’d be open to it. (Thankfully she really liked it and was so gracious about it all. I’m very grateful to her for letting me use it)
After I’d lived with the main parts for a bit I set about chopping it up and made the glitchy, rhythmic vocal parts and the choir parts from those little fragments of her voice.
You’ve played with big bands and also done stripped-back machine shows. Is there one version of performing live that feels most like you, or does it change depending on the project?
The camaraderie I have with the musicians I work with is incredibly special so I do miss that. That said, I’ve always chopped and changed my live shows throughout my career and I think it’s really important for me to do this to keep things really fresh and exciting – both for me and for the audience.